BEING NORMAL
by ncsupnatfan
Summary: The guys take a break from hunting, but that doesn't stop the need to help. For happygoddess2003


**A/N: This short story was requested by happygoddess2003 after my posting of Lost Love. She wanted something happy and light so this came to me and thought it might fit the bill. I hope you enjoy and as always, thank you for taking the time to read this and would love to hear your thoughts. NC**

 **Disclaimer: Do not own spn and this is my own creation.**

* * *

He could feel the soft sand between his toes as the water lapped gently at his feet and the cool breeze from the ocean blew in his face. He looked out at the water as the sun began to sink below the horizon in a multicolor array of colors. Reds, oranges, yellows, purples and pinks painted the sky like an artist proudly displaying his talent. It was peaceful and tranquil with no one else there to disrupt the moment.

"Wake up!" a gruff male voice broke into Sam's dream.

"Wha..." Sam jerked staring blearily eyed at his brother who was looming over him.

"Get dressed we're leaving." Dean told him throwing some clothes on the bed for him.

"Don't wanna." he whined trying to roll over to go back to sleep.

"Now Sammy!" Dean barked jerking blankets from his body and giving him a shove almost toppling him from the bed.

"What time is it?" Sam grumbled sitting on the side of the bed and rubbing his eyes trying to bring his brother into focus.

"About 5:30, dawns almost here. I got us packed already. You...Bathroom now...I'll pack the car." he ordered grabbing several bags and heading out the door.

Sam grumbled and pushed himself up from bed to stagger toward the bathroom closing the door behind him. He leaned against the sink and looked into the mirror at his exhausted, sleep deprived, bloodshot eyed face. He had only had an hour or two a day of sleep over the past week and could barely function right now and he had no idea what was up with his brother. He thought they were going to take a couple of days and rest up before heading back out.

"Get a move on!" Dean yelled through the door as he pounded on it.

Sam cringed as the headache he had intensified. He relieved himself and splashed cold water on his face trying to wake himself up. He changed clothes and rolled his sleep clothes up before stepping from the bathroom to get a pillow in the face that almost knocked him down.

"You can sleep in the car, let's go." Dean insisted heading for the door.

Sam caught himself and kicked the pillow out of his way before slowly following after his big brother. He made it outside and was pushed into the back of the Impala and the door was slammed shut before he even knew what happened.

"Go back to sleep." Dean said over the back seat as he cranked the Impala and pulled out of the motel parking lot.

Sam fussed and got turned over in the back realizing Dean had put a pillow and blanket back there for him and gave in to the need for sleep. He settled his pounding head onto the pillow and let the sound of the engine and the rocking of the Impala send him back into the dream world.

Dean looked over the seat to check on his baby brother and saw he was already asleep. He could see the pinched, exhausted look on his face and the dark half circles that outline his eyes and it worried him to know how much he was hurting. He went through a drive-through getting the largest coffee they had so he could get enough caffeine in his system so he could drive. The last couple of months had been hard on both of them, but especially on Sam. It had taken a toil on him, more than he would ever admit to his big brother. The last hunt had left both of them drained and hardly functional so he decided they needed a break to recharge and decompress. He settled in for the six hour drive ahead of him and some peace and relaxation.

 **spn**

Dean pulled into a grocery store parking lot and parked the car looking in back at his brother who hadn't moved since they had gotten started. He was still snoring softly and he couldn't help but see that skinny little kid that used to sleep back there. Was it that long ago that he was so innocent, Dean thought before getting out of the car. He stretched and shook himself trying to bring some life back to his body after the long drive. He needed to pick up some supplies for a week since there wasn't anything but a small country store to buy the basic thing within fifty miles of the place they were going. That meant no take out for a while; he guessed he could live with that if it helped Sammy out.

Dean closed the door softly so he wouldn't wake his brother and headed inside the store. He grabbed a cart and started through the store picking up what he thought them would need. He rolled through the fruit and vegetable section knowing Sam would whine and pout if he didn't get 'healthy food' too. He tossed a couple bags of salad mix into the cart, some fresh corn, potatoes, tomatoes and moved on to the fruit for apples, bananas and a small watermelon. The website indicated there was a gas grill that could be used so he was going to pick up hamburger, hotdogs, chicken and a couple of nice steaks. He couldn't wait to get the thing lit and do some cooking.

 **spn**

The cabin was nestled among a stand of pine and oak trees beside a picture perfect lake. He had reserved one away from everyone else so they could have peace and quite. The site said there were some nice hiking trails, waterfalls and you could swim and fish in the lake. He hoped they could maybe catch a couple of fish and have them for dinner one night.

Dean pulled up beside the cabin and got out looking around before strolling to the door and unlocking it. He looked inside, satisfied with it and went to get his brother up and moving.

"Wake up Sammy, we're here." Dean called to him as he shook his leg hard.

"Wha.." Sam asked as he tried to push himself up from the back seat. He groaned and stretched his long frame out the open door before realizing they were stopped.

"Help me get the stuff inside so we can settle in." Dean called to him from the back of the car.

"Where are we?" he yawned sliding across the seat and getting out. He looked around at the tree lined clearing, slowing turning to see a large lake and continued until he saw the cabin sitting behind the Impala.

"Take these inside." Dean told him shoving bags into his arms and pushing him toward the open door. "Don't squash the bread ok."

Sam stumbled slightly as he walked toward the open door and stepped inside. He was met by a nice size living room on one side and a small dining room and kitchen on the other. He could see a sliding glass door in the dining room that led to a screened in deck as he headed for the kitchen to set the bags down. Sam looked down a small hall toward the back of the house and saw a bathroom at the end of the hall and when he moved farther down it saw a bedroom on either side of the hall with a queen size bed in each one. He was speechless and wasn't sure what was going on. He didn't know if Dean had found a case here or what. He hoped it wasn't a case because he didn't know if he could plow right into another one at the moment.

"Hey, start unpacking these bags. I got us some subs for a late lunch. Weather's nice, thought we could eat down by the lake on the dock." he said heading back outside to get the other bags.

"Um, sure." Sam answered stepping to the counter and looking into the bags. He was amazed to see the amount of food in them and stopped when he saw a couple bags of salad, fruit, yogurt, cheese and chicken. Dean had gotten healthy things for him and he was shocked. With this much food, it looked like they were going to be cooking their meals and having some decent food instead of greasy take out that usually made up their meals.

"Everything gonna fit in the fridge?" Dean asked as he sat the last of the groceries on the counter.

"I-I...mm..." Sam said looking around not knowing what to say. He was still a little shell shocked about all this.

"You care which bedroom you have?"

"No." he finally got out as he watched his brother head back out for the last of the bags. Dean strolled by him toward the bedrooms and put a bag in each one before coming back to the kitchen.

"Are ya ok Sammy?" Dean asked looking at him standing in the middle of the kitchen with his mouth hanging open.

"Dean, what's going on?"

"Thought we needed a little down time, so I found this place to crash at. Figured it would do us both some good." he shrugged opening the fridge to put the beer and soda in it. "Don't just stand there, get a move on, I for one am starved!"

Before Sam could respond, his stomach let out a loud rumble and grumble protesting not being fed. He looked down at it in surprise and back up at Dean.

"Guess I'm not the only one." he chuckled taking a bag to unload. He sat coffee and filters by the coffee pot and put peanut butter, crackers, nuts and chips in the cabinet. They had everything put away in no time and Dean grabbed the bags of subs and a couple of beers.

"Dean, thanks." he said giving his brother a half smile and sincere look as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Ain't nothin'." Dean mumbled not wanting to get into a chick flick moment. "C'mon let's check out the lake." he said turning to head out but stopped to pick up a bag on the table. "Here, thought we might need these." he said tossing Sam a pair of sunglasses. "Nice, right? Do I look like a movie star?" Dean beamed putting his own and cocking his head sideways before heading out the door.

 **spn**

The brothers walked down a short path to the dock that sat on the lake. There were lounge chairs already set up and a small table sitting between them, just ready for their use. They both took off their button-ups to enjoy the warm day. Dean dropped into a lounge chair and sat the beers on the table before pulling out subs. He pushed one toward Sam and proceeded to open the other for himself. Dean smiled broadly as he took his first bite of the sub relishing in the taste. Sam sat down and looked out across the large lake noticing other cabins scattered among the trees. They were spaced far enough apart to allow for some privacy for their occupants. He saw a canoe tied to the dock for their use and there was a floating deck out in the middle of the lake that you could swim to he guessed. It didn't look like many of the cabins were in use and he was glad. It was nice to not be dealing with other people for a while.

"Eat Sammy, your stomach scared me." Dean teased bringing him out of his trance.

"Right." Sam said opening his sub and taking a bite. He closed his eyes and savored the tastes that bombarded his taste buds surprised Dean remembered what he liked. He took a bite of the dill pickle that came with the sub and sighed contently. He couldn't of ask for a more perfect moment than right now, being with his brother and actually having a normal time. He slouched back in the chair and let the warm breeze blow across his face and smelled the freshness and cleanness of the air, it was amazing.

"Man Sammy, this sub is the best." Dean mumbled around a bite of sub. "It's hitting the stop." he continued stopping to sip his beer and check the place out. "The desk guys said there's some fishing equipment in a storage room on the deck. Figured we'd find some bait and try our hand fishing. Maybe we can catch our dinner one night."

"You know, that really sounds like fun." Sam agreed sipping on his beer and letting everything sink in. They were acting like normal people on a vacation and not hunters looking for a monster. He couldn't believe Dean had done this for him, it was beyond amazing and just what he needed right now. He glanced over at his brother and smiled when he saw how much he was enjoying his sub. Sometimes it seemed he had a love affair with his food, but he wasn't going to say anything to spoil the moment. It was too perfect. They sat there after finishing the food and just enjoyed the quietness and solitude of the place, drinking in the sunlight. A full stomach and warmth from the sun had Dean so relaxed he dozed off, his head falling to the side. Sam looked over at him knowing he was probably exhausted from the drive since he had not woken him to help.

"Hey, why don't ya go take a nap? Don't want ya getting too much sun the first day." Sam told him prodding him awake.

"Yeah, good idea." he mumbled stumbling to his feet and heading back to the cabin. He did need a nap if he was going to function any time soon.

Sam watched his brother long enough to be sure he got into the cabin ok before turning back to the lake. He watched several ducks swimming around the edge and smiled when a fish jumped from the water glad to know there were some actually in there. He could see dragon flies zipping from stalk to stalk of bulrushes growing in one corner near the dock. They sparkled and glittered in the rays of the sun making them seem almost magical looking. Dean was right; the sunglasses were going to come in handy, especially if they went out on the lake during the day.

 **spn**

Sam put the book down he was reading and looked up as Dean stumbled into the kitchen heading straight for the coffee pot. He used the cup Sam had set out for him and stood there sipping on the hot liquid for a moment before noticing him in the living room and headed his way.

"How long did I sleep?" Dean asked shaking his head to wake up.

"You went down around three o'clock yesterday and that was about fourteen hours ago." Sam chuckled looking at his watch. "Never even moved when I asked if you wanted some dinner."

"God I needed that. Did you get some sleep?"

"I did, bed was pretty comfortable."

"It was like sleeping on a cloud." Dean hummed remembering how nice the mattress felt last night. It had been a long time since the brothers had a room of their own and it was strange to wake up and not see his brother sleeping beside him. He startled at first, then realized where he was and that Sam was ok. "What do you want to do today?"

Sam looked at him a little surprised at the question. He didn't think he had ever been asked that because they were usually working a case or looking for a case or driving somewhere. This was the first time in a long time that they weren't on a schedule or wrapped up in some monster hunt.

"I honestly don't know." he finally answered.

"What say we have some breakfast and go drown some worms?" Dean suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Sam said getting up and heading for the kitchen.

Dean followed, getting the eggs, a carton of pancake mix that you just added milk to and the milk from the fridge. He searched in the cabinets and found a frying pan and small griddle. Once he had both of them set up, Dean busied himself mixing up the pancake mix and scrambling the eggs. Sam got the plates and silverware before starting a fresh pot of coffee. He found the syrup and set it on the table, looking around to see if he needed to do something else. Humming from the kitchen caught his attention as he watched Dean busy himself making breakfast. He had not seen Dean this relaxed and content in forever. No he took that back, he'd never seen him like this before.

"How many pancakes ya want Sammy? Three or four?" he asked looking at the container to see how many it made.

"With eggs, let's start with two." Sam smiled wanting to call him Betty Crocker, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Dean was having too much fun to spoil it.

"Two it is then." he said pouring batter slowly onto the griddle to start the pancakes. He was able to get four medium pancakes cooking and turned to the pan to start the eggs. He stirred the eggs as he watched the pancakes to see when they needed turning. "Bring the plates over here and get that little tub of butter from the fridge."

"Got it." Sam told him sitting the plates near him on the counter and looking in the fridge for the butter.

"Almost done Sammy." Dean told him as he quickly flipped the pancakes and then stirred the eggs.

"Smells good." he nodded checking the coffee pot to see if it had finished perking. He took their cups and refilled them, doctoring his to his liking before taking them to the table.

"Alright, let's dig in. I can hear the fish calling, they wanna be caught." he laughed sitting two plates on the table and taking a seat.

Sam took his seat and poured syrup over his pancakes before passing it along to Dean. He cut a large bite and popped it in his mouth enjoying the lightness of them. "Man, these are great." he sighed taking another bite.

"See, I can cook more than hamburgers." Dean smirked stabbing eggs and depositing them in his mouth. He chewed happily watching his brother enjoying his food. He could see some of the exhaustion was gone from his face, but there were still bruises under his eyes and they had a weak look if you knew what to look for and he did. He knew his little brother better than he knew himself so it was hard for Sam to hide anything from him.

"So, we're fishing for our dinner tonight?" Sam asked as he wiped his plate with the last bite of pancake before putting it in his mouth.

"Yep, I figure two apiece should do and anything else can be tossed back in."

"You are going to clean them aren't you?" Sam asked cautiously.

"Dud!" Dean scoffed. "Of course I'm cleaning 'em, wouldn't have anything to cook if you did it."

"Good." Sam said with a sigh of relief. "I'll pack some waters and a couple of things to snack on." he said getting up and rinsing his plate before putting it in the sink.

"Oh, there's a small laundry mat at the main office we can use and wash our clothes."

"Great, I was getting low. Maybe I'll take them to wash when we get back. You can clean the fish and get them ready for dinner tonight."

"Deal, let's go before it gets too warm and they stop biting. I'll head over and grab some bait; you get the poles from the storage room and meet me at the dock."

"Ok. Give me a moment." Sam said grabbing an insulated bag and digging into the fridge for water and the cabinet for power bars and crackers. He went out on the deck and looked in the room finding fishing poles, net and a small tackle box. This was pretty good; this place seemed to have everything.

 **spn**

"We goin' out in the canoe?" Sam asked as he checked his pole and line.

"Naw, let's try off the dock first." he suggested taking the other pole. He opened the carton of worms and dug two out offering one to his brother and keeping one for himself.

"Ugh! Worm guts." Sam grimaced as he threaded the hook through the worm's body then wiped his hand on his jeans. "Here goes nothing." he said tossing his line into the water with a quick swish. He reeled it in until it clicked and leaned on the railing watching the float bob up and down on the surface sending ripples out from it.

"Alright, time to feed the fish." Dean said tossing his line the other way. He reeled it in setting his line and looked out across the lake waiting to see if the fish were gonna bite. "How 'bout a little music." Dean said pulling his cell out and flipping through to find the radio app. Music began to pour from the cell and Dean lowered the volume before sitting it on the table. They listened to the music as a breeze picked up and blew across the water making their floats bobble and bounce around.

Sam looked away for a moment and looked back when he felt a tug on his line. He clicked the line in several times watching his float when sudden it was jerked under the water and he jerked his pole back to set the hook.

"I got one!" Sam cried as he reeled in his line in a slow steady motion watching the pole bend slightly the closer the fish got.

"Need help?" Dean asked watching his brother bouncing around like a kid.

"I'm good." he said pulling the line in. When it was close enough, he grabbed the line holding up a very nice size trout.

"I'd say that's a keeper there Sammy."

"It's a beauty!" he said proudly carefully catching the fish behind his front fins so he could remove the hook and string him on a stringer. He attached the stringer to the railing and lowered it into the water to keep the fish alive and fresh.

"Grab a worm and see if you can get another one." Dean told him gently reeling his line feeling for a bite. Suddenly his float was pulled under and he jerked his line to set the hook. "Oh yeah! Daddy's eatin' good tonight."

"Don't lose it." Sam said watching his brother fight the fish as he got it closer to the dock. "Here, let me get the net."

"Don't ya knock it off." he fussed as Sam dipped the net into the water and came up with his fish.

"Nice." he said being careful as he reached in and caught the flopping fish.

"Large mouth bass not bad. Add it to the stringer I figure one more a piece should be plenty for dinner."

"What other kind do you think are in here?"

"Probably some catfish but they usually stay on the bottom, maybe some perch but they're pretty boney so we'll throw those back." he said baiting his hook. He glanced over the lake and decided where to throw the line next.

Sam tossed his out toward the cattails dotting the shallows near the bank and set the line. He got settled waiting to see if that was a good spot or if he'd have to move it. He looked up when a snuffle behind him caught his attention.

"Dean, don't make any sudden moves." he said slowly watching the large dog standing there watching them. He looked like a full blooded German shepherd and well taken care of.

"It's ok, that's the owner's dog. Met him when I picked up the key. Hey Charlie, you visiting?" Dean asked snapping his fingers summoning the dog to him. He scratched him behind the ears and mumbled to him as he pressed up against his leg.

After greeting Dean, he walked over to Sam and cocked his head looking up at him. Sam put his hand out and let him sniff it before patting him on the head.

"Hi Charlie, you're a handsome boy aren't you." Sam told him getting a wagging tail in response.

"Owner says he visits the cabins and if he was bothering us just to tell him to go home."

"You're not bothering anyone are you?" he asked Charlie who cocked his head to the side and panted at him.

"Hey! You got a bite!" Dean told him pointing at his line.

"Yeah, got it." he said reeling his line and jerking it slightly. "I think it was just a nibble." he said watching the float as it moved slightly but didn't go under. He tensed waiting and watching, but nothing happened. After five minutes, Sam brought his line in to find his hook bare. "Man, whatever it was got my worm."

"So get even try again."

They fished for another hour each and caught several more fish, but they only kept one each, the others were thrown back in. On Sam's last worm, he found out what was stealing them. As he reeled his line in, a nice size turtle followed it trying to take the worm from the hook. Charlie stayed with them until they got ready to leave and headed back to the office when they walked up the hill to their cabin.

"Damn Sammy, you stink." Dean complained when he got a good whiff of him.

"I wouldn't talk." he laughed. "I'm gonna shower and go to the laundry mat, wanna put your dirty ones out?"

"I'm gonna clean these fish while you shower and then take my turn in the shower. I'll sit my bag at the door." he replied and then stopped to look at him. "You want me to go with you?" he offered.

"No, I'll be fine. You can hang out here. Shouldn't take me more than an hour, maybe a little longer." he said heading for the shower. "I'll take a book to read, I'll be fine."

"I got some change in my bag you can use and the keys to Baby are by the door on the table."

"Thanks." he said washing his hands off outside at the spigot before heading inside.

Dean got to work cleaning the fish, being sure to double bag the guts and putting it in the trash, closing the lid tightly. He stored the fish in the fridge and headed for his bedroom to gather his dirty clothes. He grabbed a towel from the linen closet and striped down to his briefs, adding those to the bag. Sam came out of the bathroom as Dean sat his bag by the bedroom door.

"If you need anything call me." he told Sam as he headed into the bathroom.

"You got it, be back in a bit."

 **spn**

"Oh my God, I think I've died and gone to Heaven." Sam moaned as he tasted his first bite of fish. "Dude, what did you do?"

"Lemon and basil." Dean said trying a bite of his. "Damn I'm good! It melts in your mouth."

"And you did this on the grill?"

"Yep. Didn't know ya had such a talented brother did ya?"

"I did not." Sam chuckled. "You have my utmost praise."

"Figured we'd watch the light display tonight since it's clear."

"By the lake?"

"Yeah, we'll have front row seats. Snag a couple of beers, couldn't ask for a better show."

"I'll dig out the bug spray."

"Oh they have a couple of those stinky candles on the deck we can use too."

"I have to say, this place has everything."

 **spn**

The stars seemed to be especially bright in the ebony sky as Dean and Sam sat side by side on the dock looking up in the night sky. It was like they were getting an extra special showing just for them. Both saw several shooting stars that raced across the sky. Sam looked out across the still lake and could see the sky reflecting back in it. It was like looking at one world split into by a mirror, one imitating the other. No words were spoken or needed as they quietly sipped their beers letting their minds regroup and clear. Calmness settled over the area and crickets and bull frogs sang into the night joined by an array of other night creatures. Whip-or-wills called in the distance, their soft, lonely voice echoing through the trees only to be replaced by a hoot owl's stronger voice from nearby. Everyone seemed to wanna join in the song of the night.

"Thanks for taking care of me." Sam said softly glancing sideways at Dean.

"That's what big brothers do, they look after their pain in the ass little brothers." he teased trying to make light of the statement.

"This is beyond words, there's no one trying to kill us or us trying to kill them, its bliss, quiet, peaceful bliss."

"Yeah, its nice to step back and let things go for a bit, it heals the soul."

"So what are our plans tomorrow?"

"There's a decent hiking trail above the cabin that leads to a nice falls. Thought we'd check it out, maybe take a picnic. It's only a couple of miles. Remember the one Dad took us on when we were kids?"

"You mean where we parked by a river and had chicken from a bucket? I don't really call that a picnic."

"Well we did play in the water and you know at least he tried."

"Yeah I know." he said sadly. "Didn't you push me in and blame it on slippery rocks or something?"

"Maybe."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

 **spn**

The next day dawned cool but had the makings for a great day for a hike. Dean was up early and had made sandwiches for them to take for lunch. He added fruit, cheese, granola bars and cut up watermelon to the insulated bag on top of the drinks already stored in it. Sam was up by the time he was on his second cup of coffee and they had cereal for breakfast before setting off on their hike.

The air was crisp and coming alive with all the waking sounds of the creatures of the forest. The trail was well marked and cleared making for easy travel. They heard the waterfall before seeing it. Both brothers stopped as the forest opened up onto a clearing showing a large waterfall cascading over huge boulders forming a small river that wove out across the clearing.

"Look a rainbow." Sam pointed out as the water droplets filled the air catching the sun just right to form a perfect rainbow.

"Now this is nice." Dean commented walking on down to the bank of the river. "Look at the size of some of these rocks, there huge!"

"You think this leads back to the lake?" Sam asked climbing on the rocks to look downstream.

"Don't know, you wanna find a place to rest and we'll eat?"

"Sounds good. Let's check out down this way, looks like some grassy spots." he pointed making his way over the rocks, jumping easily from one to the other.

"You trying to be a mountain goat or something?" Dean asked as he walked along the edge of the rocks on a small path trying to keep pace with him.

They walked a short distance down the bank and found a nice grassy spot to sit back and enjoy what Mother Nature had created. Sam unrolled the blanket he was carrying and spread it out making a comfortable place to sit. Dean handed him a bottle of water and joined him on the blanket. He laid the food out and they started eating.

"Why does food taste so much better eating it outside like this?" Sam asked nibbling on a slice of cheese.

"Because the air's clean and we're not inhaling all that crap that's out there in the cities."

"Um..." Sam said thinking about what he said. "I'm gonna follow the river a little ways to see where it goes."

"Don't get lost." Dean said laying back and closing his eyes. "Don't wanna have to hunt your skinny ass down."

"I won't go far." he said getting up and brushing off his jeans. He headed down closer to the edge of the river and began to make his way downstream. He found a small path among the rocks and followed it veering slightly away from the water and around a bend in the river. Sam was surprised by what lay ahead of him. It looked like an enchanted forest spread out before him. He could already picture fairies and pixies and elves dancing and playing among the branches. The trees were short, stout, and covered in a moss that hung from them in arrays of green colors that gave a feeling of depth to the scene. The branches on the trees were twisted and stuck out at odd angles giving the appearance of something from another time and place. He was shocked that something this spectacular had not been exploited and ruined. Sam moved slowly into the trees, pausing to look at each one of the odd and unusual shapes of them. He ran a hand gently over the moss feeling how soft and delicate it seemed. It seemed to mold to his hand as if responding to his touch. The trees closest to the river seemed to be bending down just enough to touch the surface, as if drawing in a drink from the river. Sam stood among the trees and took in all the wonder and magical notions they brought out in his mind. If he had to picture an enchanted place, this couldn't be more perfect.

A sound on the wind drew his attention to deeper into the trees. He cocked his head and listened intently trying to determine where it was coming from. Sam took a couple of tentative steps waiting for it to repeat and then caught what sounded like the sob of a child. Sam moved forward cautiously trying to pin point the location of the cry. He heard it again closer and stepped off the path to make his way around moss clad boulders following the noise. He was about a hundred feet off the path and stepped around a cluster of rocks to pull up short with what he saw. What looked like a young curly, red headed child was lying on the ground with her leg caught between two rocks and she was sobbing quietly. She looked to be about two maybe three years old, but small in statue. When she turned her face to look at him, Sam realized that it wasn't a child at all especially after taking in her shapely body that was draped in a silky, body molding, short, sky blue dress. Her mature face was slightly oval with almond shaped blue eyes, small turned up nose, perfect pink lips and pointed ears that showed through her hair. There was a wreath of yellow flowers braided through her hair like a gold crown. The one free foot he could see was covered in a soft leather slipper that looked similar to a ballet slipper. What definitely set her apart from humans was the soft, glimmering, opalescence of two wings attached to her back that quivered with her despair.

"Please, don't hurt me." she begged in a musical, soft voice. Her eyes were filled with fear and pain as she gazed at the giant before her.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you." he spoke gently, holding his hands in front of him before kneeling near her. "Looks like you're stuck, will you let me help?" he asked giving her a warm smile.

The creature nodded her head yes as she watched him move closer to her to examine her leg and how she was caught. He touched her leg and felt her trembling under his fingers. He gave her another encouraging smile before leaning closer to peer into the crack.

"I'm going to try and pry this apart, see if you can free your leg. Ok?" he asked her waiting to be sure she understood.

She nodded yes again and watched as he gripped the rock on either side of her leg and began to pull putting his whole body into it. Sam strained and gritted his teeth as he used every ounce of energy to shift the rock. Just when he thought it wasn't going to bulge, he felt a slight give and pulled in a deep breath before giving it one final jerk. She cried with relief as her foot slipped from the crack freeing her. She started pulling her body away from Sam trying to escape.

"Please, your leg needs looked at, I can help." he said seeing the blood running down her leg. "My name's Sam. Are you a fairy?"

"No, a Sprite." she sang to him surprised he knew about their kind. "Distance cousins, my name is Alelana." she twittered. Her voice was like the tinkling of little bells filled with musical tones.

"May I pick you up so I can move closer to the river?" he asked her not daring to touch her unless she agreed.

"Alright." she said watching intently as he slipped a hand under her knees and another behind her back, near the waist avoiding her wings. She reached out and held onto his arm as he raised her from the ground holding her gently to his chest. He turned and walked back toward the river picking his way carefully around the rocks and boulders. Once he made it to the bank, he found a rock that came up to his waist and sat her onto it. He unbuttoned his outer shirt and slipped it off before pulling his knife from his back pocket and flipping it open. Alelana gasped with fright and tried to back away over the rock.

"Oh no, no, I'm going to cut the sleeves off to make a bandage for your leg. Its ok." he quickly told her before showing her by cutting off the sleeves. He took one and tore in into strips and the other he dipped into the river to get wet. "I'm going to wipe the blood away to see how bad it is. It may hurt a bit." he explained trying not to make any quick or threatening moves to scare her. Sam took her small foot in his large hand and gently pressed over it checking for broken bones. "Can you move your toes?"

Alelana looked down at her foot and slowly wiggled her toes back and forth grimacing slightly in pain. She watched him wipe her calf of the blood and examined the cut. A small line of blood sluggishly welled up on the cut. The skin around it was turning an ugly shade of blue-black from her trying to dislodge her leg and her shin was scrapped raw. He knew he had ointment in the car, but that was back at the cabin. Deciding the only thing he could do was wrap it to stop the bleeding and support her ankle with what he had on hand.

"Wait." she whispered laying a small hand on his. "Over there, the pink flower plant." she pointed to a stubby plant growing at the base of the rocks with small bunches of pinks flower.

"You want me to pick one?" he asked looking at what he thought was a weed and back at her. When she nodded her head yes, he walked over and plucked several leaves and stems. He noticed a milky while substance leaking from the broken end of the stem and touched it with a finger. In just a few seconds, the small area was numb. "Wow, that's different." he noted carrying the plant back and removing the wet cloth. He wiped the cut again and squeezed some of the sticky substance onto her leg using the stem to spread it. Alelana let out a breath as the pain began to ease and her body relaxed slightly. After Sam had doctored the injures, he took a small double folded square and placed it over the cut before wrapping the strips around it to hold it in place. Once he had it covered and tied off, he pulled the slipper from her foot and looked at her swollen ankle.

"Its not broken, maybe sprained." he said looking up at her intelligent face. Her eyes twinkled under very long eyelashes as she blinked and nodded. "I don't have an ace bandage, so this is gonna have to do." he continued picking up another strip to start binding it. He tied it off once he was done and stood back to admire his handy work. "I think that will do it. May I ask what you are doing here?"

"I was kidnapped by humans when I ventured to far from my realm." she answered.

"So you got away from them but got your leg trapped?"

"Yes, I need to return to my home, but how do you know of our kind?"

"My brother and I are hunters. We deal with the supernatural creatures that are in our world. We've come across some relatives of yours; I guess you'd call them."

"Thank you for the assistance, I wasn't sure what I would do and I was so afraid they would find me." she hummed clasping her hands together as her wings fluttered, glimmering in the sunlight.

"I can take you back to your realm or as close as I can if you like." Sam offered not about to leave her on her own here.

"I could not ask this of you, you have done enough."

"It would be a honor." he insisted bowing slightly to her. "You just have to guide me."

"What you see must never be told to anyone."

"You have my word, it will be safe." he said before taking his outer shirt and slipping it around her waist so he could pick her up without any embarrassing moments.

Sam cradled her to his chest being careful of her leg and wings. He chuckled when they brushed against his cheek in a feather like touch. She was lighter than a child and seemed so delicate that he was afraid she would break. She pointed the way and Sam began to walk away from the trail going deeper into the enchanted forest. He worked his way around and over the huge boulders keeping a good hold on Alelana as she pointed the way. They had not gone far when crashing and loud talking broke the peaceful silence around them.

"Its them." she whispered clutching his tee shirt and hiding her face against his chest.

"Sh-sh." he said ducking behind a rock and slipping among some trees and bushes. He sat her into a small wallowed down area in the brush. "Stay here, don't move." he told her getting up and reaching into the small of his back for his gun. He out pulled his phone and sent his brother a 911 call leaving the line open so he could trace it. He quickly worked his way around and away from her hiding spot before he spotted two guys with sticks working their way toward him. They were beating trees and bushes and poking into crevices that might hide a sprite. They tore moss from the trees and destroyed what they could. Before they could get any closer he stepped into their path, keeping his gun hanging by his side, hidden from view.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the guys asked when they saw Sam standing in their way.

"Better question would be who are you and why are you trespassing on federal property and destroying the natural habitat?" Sam asked loudly and boldly.

"This ain't no federal property." the other challenged stepping closer.

"You so sure about that ass hole?" he spat back. "You know I don't think prison would agree with you two and we're not talking about no country club limited security lockup either, no you'd be heading to the big time, maximum security, six by eight cell with a bunk mate named Dog."

"Oh yeah? Well there's two of us and only one of you." one threatened taking a step toward him.

Sam went into a defensive mode letting his hand come into view and the sun glint off the gun. Both guys stopped and mumbled to each other while watching Sam. Sam didn't want to kill these two, but that didn't mean he couldn't give them a couple of injures to give them something think about. He hoped Dean got his message and would be here soon.

"The best thing you two can do is leave and don't come back. This land is not for you to destroy or desecrate. If you leave now, I won't have to do something you'll regret."

"You got a lot of talk, we'll leave when we find what we lost." the leader told him.

"Hey! Smile!" another voice yelled at them causing them to turn in surprise. Dean had his cell ready and snapped several pictures of them. "Alright then, I'll just send these in and see if you have any outstanding warrants or tickets we can haul your asses in on."

"Hey." Sam said a smirk crossing his face now that his brother was at his side.

"We got a problem here?" Dean asked crossing his arms and staring the two creeps down. "Believe me you two sissies wouldn't last a day in the pen with the hard core. I figure you'll be someone's bitch 'fore the day's out. Feel like findin' out?" he asked walking closer to his brother waiting to see what was going to happen.

"C'mon let's get out of here." one of them mumbled pushing the other.

"Hold up." Dean ordered in a voice that left no room for negotiation. "Hand over your wallets." he told them holding out his hand.

The two grumbled and shuffled their feet but dug out their wallets and handed them over. Dean pulled the licenses and snapped pictures of each before looking at them and then up at the guys.

"Well Maurice and George, we now have your addresses and know what you look like, if you ever trespass again or do anything illegal, your asses will be hauled to jail faster than you can blink. Do I make myself clear?" Dean asked tossing their wallets at them.

"We'll have your mug shots given to every federal agency, law enforcement offices, park ranger, and any other department around, so you better keep your noses clean." Sam added wanting to get his point across.

"You can't see them, but this place has cameras throughout the forest and we'll know if you come back."

"So get out of here and don't look back, it won't be pretty if we meet again."

"Go!" Sam demanded taking a challenging step toward them.

The two creeps fell over each other trying to get away from the brothers. They ran and didn't look back, falling over rocks and branches as they headed out of the forest. Dean and Sam stood there watching until they were out of sight and couldn't be heard anymore.

"Wanna tell me what that was about?" Dean asked turning to his brother looking at the gun Sam shoved back into the waist of his jeans.

"Wait a minute." Sam told him going back into the trees to the hiding place he had left Alelana.

Dean waited impatiently wondering what Sam was up to. He looked up when he heard him talking to someone and stared in shocked at what he had cradled in his arms.

"This is Alelana, she's a Sprite. This is my brother Dean, he's ok." Sam told her. "Those guys captured her and she got away but hurt her leg. I found her and got her free. I was taking Alelana back to where she could cross back to her home land."

"Hello?" Dean asked not sure what to say to her. She was beyond beautiful with a head full of curly red hair that surrounded her angelic face.

"Hi, nice to meet you." she sung in her high pitched voice. "I owe my life to your brother."

"He's good at rescuing things." Dean said looking the sprite over mesmerized by the wings on her back. He looked back at her face and saw the distinct characteristics of her genre, from the pointed ears to her oval face. He couldn't get over how small she actually was, especially being held by his brother.

"If you point the way, we'll get you back to your home." Sam told her.

She pointed off into the forest and Sam started walking that way with Dean trailing along behind him. It wasn't long before the forest took on a more mysterious, magical feel and trees became thicker.

"Just over there." she pointed to a small grove of trees nestled among some rocks.

"Good-bye Alelana." Sam whispered to her squeezing her hand gently and letting her kiss his cheek.

"Good-bye Sam and thank you." she hummed to him. "You are my hero."

Sam blushed with her words and bent to sit her on the forest floor. Dean stepped to her and knelt down to her level.

"Good-bye Alelana, it was nice to meet you." he said holding his hand for her to shake. She limped closer to him and kissed his forehead before speaking.

"Good-bye my new friends, if you ever find yourself in my realm, know that you will be under my protection, for I am Alelana, Queen of the Sprites." she said bowing to them.

She turned from them and with a flap of her wings, flew into the grove of trees, disappearing into a shimmering veil. The brothers blinked a couple of times trying to see where she went but couldn't distinguish anything that looked like the opening.

"C'mon bro, we need to find our way out of here." Dean said clapping his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Man, I can't believe that just happened."

"I know, it doesn't seem real. I mean I though I was seeing things when I found her. I had to pinch myself to be sure I wasn't dreaming."

"Those wings were..."

"Yeah, I know, me too."

"You think we put the word of God in those two jackasses?"

"Yeah, I don't think they'll be back any time soon."

Dean led the way back to the river and they followed it back to the falls and to their packs. Sam stowed the blanket and Dean packed the rest so they could head back to the cabin. It didn't take them long to make the hike back and Dean busied himself with making some dinner for them. Sam put away the other things and grabbed his book to take outside to read when Dean shooed him away complaining he was under foot.

 **spn**

Sam tried to read, but his mind kept drifting back to Alelana wondering if she made it home ok. He wished he could of seen where she lived, but he could only image what it looked like. There was so much out there they didn't know about or what was in store for them next, but he was glad they were facing it together. Dean interrupted his thoughts when he came out to put the steaks on the grill. He watched him and chuckled as he talked to the grill like it could understand him. He threatened to disassemble it if his steaks burned and Sam couldn't help but laugh out loud at his antics. It felt so good to do nothing and think about nothing and to laugh; man it felt so good to just laugh. His mind was lifted and his soul felt reborn after the last few days of peace. He sat back and breathed in the tantalizing smell of the steaks beginning to cook, his mouth watering in anticipation. He honestly didn't know how this could get any better for him and smiled a content smile watching Dean dance around the grill adding corn on the cob to it. He didn't even mind his brother being a mother hen right now knowing he was trying to give him the time he needed to heal. Sam looked up in time to see a beer come flying at him and he automatically stuck a hand out to catch it.

"Good reflexes there Sammy." Dean praised him.

"Thanks." he replied twisting the cap off and taking a sip.

"You doing ok?" he asked giving him a sideways glance.

"Yeah, I am Dean, I truly am." Sam nodded in contentment.

"I'm glad." he said turning to take the steaks off and turn the corn. Dean smiled to himself happy his plan was working and his brother was getting the much needed downtime he deserved. He had a feeling that both of them were going to need to be at the top of their game for whatever fate was going to throw at them next, but as long as they were together this fate and destiny crap be damned.

 **The End**


End file.
